Bradley: For Mets, running into Jose Reyes will sting for a while

US PresswireMiami Marlins shortstop Jose Reyes in the second inning during a spring training game against the New York Mets at Roger Dean Stadium.

JUPITER, Fla. — It was two pitches. It lasted less than a minute. That we even cared about it speaks volumes. It was Jose Reyes’ first at-bat against the Mets as a Miami Marlin.

He batted right-handed against knuckleballer R.A. Dickey, which Dickey said was good to know for the upcoming season. There were a few boos from the crowd. Reyes said he heard them.

On the second pitch, both were knuckleballs, Reyes tapped the ball back to the mound. Dickey caught it and threw Reyes out at first. And that was it. A 54-minute rain delay brought the exhibition game to a halt, and when it resumed, Reyes’ day was done.

A cynic might say “typical Jose Reyes” and dredge up the way Reyes asked to be pulled from Game 162 a year ago to protect his .337 average, which would ultimately be the number that made him the Mets first National League batting champ. But that would be petty. Judging Reyes on that one selfish moment, on the final day of a 77-win season, would be wrong. The truth is that Reyes was a joy to watch for nine seasons.

It would be nice if this first at-bat brought some type of closure for Mets fans, but it didn’t. Reyes signed a six-year, $108 million contract with the Marlins in December knowing fully well he’d be a frequent visitor to Citi Field, and would host the Mets a bunch, too.

From April 24-26, Reyes will make his first trip into New York. From May 11-13, the Mets will play at the new Marlins Park. The Marlins will be back in Flushing from Aug. 8-10. And the Mets will be back in Miami from Aug. 31-Sept. 2. But that’s not all. The Marlins will play three more at Citi Field from Sept. 21-23. And the Mets will finish up the regular season with one last trip to Marlins Park, for three games, Oct. 1-3.

That’s 18 regular-season games, if you’re scoring at home. If Reyes stays healthy — a big “if,” as Mets fans know all too well — that figures to be a handful of triples, a few stolen bases and a few minutes worth of YouTube-quality defensive plays.
In other words, the pain will linger.

“This year, this team,” Reyes said of his new club, “they signed free agents, me and a few pitchers. They want to win. Before I signed here, I saw what they’re trying to do. That’s why I decided to come here. Because of the opportunity to win. Because, I’ve been playing for nine years in the big leagues and I haven’t won anything yet. With this team, I think we have that opportunity.”

To know Reyes at all, you know these words were not spoken in anger. He just spoke the truth. This offseason, the Marlins made noise, first by hiring Ozzie Guillen to manage.

They signed Reyes, then went out and signed starter Mark Buehrle and closer Heath Bell. Their roster already included rising stars like starting pitcher Josh Johnson and right-fielder Giancarlo (formerly Mike) Stanton and the supremely-talented Hanley Ramirez. The contrast to what’s going on with his old team could not be more stark.

Even the Mets can’t hide the way they feel about losing Reyes. “He meant so much to so many people in the clubhouse,” said Dickey. “So it’s not like someone that you’re just an acquaintance with going on to another team. He’d been a Met his entire career and made a big difference in the lives of so many people in this clubhouse. So it’s different.”

Dickey spoke of Reyes’ exuberant spirit, his personality. Manager Terry Collins said that Reyes came over to him and asked about David Wright’s injury.

“In a very professional way, he came up to me before the game. He wanted to know how everything was going,” Collins said. “You can tell he’s still got feelings for his old teammates here. Obviously, he and David were together a long time, so I thought it was very cool that he asked.”

As for what will transpire on the field over the course of the season, and in the dozen and a half games the Mets and Marlins will play, the Mets know how much trouble Reyes can create for an opponent.

“The classic example of a guy you love to play with, hate to play against,” said Jason Bay. “He does a lot of things. He gets on base, he makes the defense tighten up. We’ve seen what it’s like, what he can do. He’s one of those guys, not many can do what he does. Not many have those gifts. He’s a special player.”

As for yesterday’s brief encounter, Reyes smiled. “It was good to see my old teammates,” he said. “But it is what it is after that. This was nothing. This is spring training. Just another day. It will be different when I go back to New York. There will be more people in the stands. But no matter what happens, I’ve got to put in the past. I’m a Marlin now.”